2025 Miami GP Sprint Qualifying Preview

Now, it is time for James Punt’s 2025 Miami GP Sprint Qualifying preview and tips. You can read his outright preview here.

2025 Miami GP Sprint Qualifying

With just one free practice session to try and get a handle on who is where, the one thing you do not need is a red flag right in the middle of the soft tyre qualifying sim runs. Nine drivers did not set a time on the softs, including Norris who had just set the fastest middle sector, Hamilton, both Mercedes, both Alpines, both Haas and Stroll.

Of those that did, it was Piastri who was fastest, 0.356 ahead of Leclerc and 0.430 ahead of Verstappen. The two Williams ended up fourth and fifth but over 0.50 off the pace. Hadjar was sixth and 0.840 behind Piastri. Hadjar did all his running on the hard tyres, before his qualifying sim on the soft and he was top ten all the way. He looks to have found his feet here nicely.

Clear As Soup

It is as clear as soup, but McLaren look strong, and it was a shame to lose a bet on Norris to be fastest in FP1 because of a red flag mid lap. They would have been 1-2. After that? Who knows.

Verstappen looks pretty good and if he hooks one up, he can feature. Ferrari, probably top three but slower than McLaren. Mercedes, impossible to say but they are up there with Ferrari and Verstappen.

Best of the rest are Williams. I would have liked to see what Gasly could do in the Alpine. Alonso looks good for thirteenth, the Saubers are slowest and Haas look to be lacking one lap pace again.

Piastri has been the best qualifier so far and he is the favourite to get pole for the sprint later. He was fastest over most of the lap, with only Leclerc and Verstappen having the edge in a few parts. Norris should be thereabouts with Verstappen, Russell and Leclerc vying for a second row spot.

Sprint Qualifying Tip: 1 point Oscar Piastri to be fastest in sprint qualifying @ 2.40 with Ladbrokes

Sprint Qualifying Tip: 1 point Hadjar to reach Q3 in sprint qualifying @ 2.00 with Ladbrokes

-JamesPunt